State investigates death of patient at Pembroke Hospital

PEMBROKE - The state Department of Mental Health is investigating the death of a patient being treated at Pembroke Hospital, a 120-bed mental hospital owned by Arbour Health Systems.

State officials said that the death occurred at the Oak Street hospital, and Pembroke police and fire officials recorded transporting the patient to South Shore Hospital in Weymouth shortly after 5 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 30.

Government and hospital officials did not disclose the gender or age of the patient who died and indicated no cause of death.

Arbour Health has come under fire in recent years from both state and federal regulators. Last year, government inspectors cited unsafe conditions at Arbour’s 66-bed facility in Brookline and deficiencies in psychiatric treatment and evaluations for four patients there.

Regulators have also cited Arbour for staffing shortfalls, and Arbour Hospital in Jamaica Plain was cited for staff failures in connection with two questionable deaths.

Judith Merel, the regional director for business development at Arbour, is the company’s spokeswoman. She responded to questions about the recent death at the company’s hospital in Pembroke.

“All of the staff at Pembroke Hospital are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of this patient and extend our deepest sympathy and condolences to family and friends,” Merel said in an emailed response. “For years, Pembroke Hospital has provided treatment for adolescents and adults struggling with mental health and co-occurring addictions issues. Patient safety and well-being is our highest priority.”

The state mental health agency, which licenses Pembroke Hospital, opened an investigation Sept. 1 into the August death and expects to wrap up its inquiry by the end of the month.

All patient deaths at licensed mental health facilities are investigated by state regulators, as are any deaths that happen within 30 days of discharge from a licensed facility.

Seven of the 49 such deaths statewide this year are tied to Pembroke Hospital, said Anna Chinappi, a spokeswoman for the Department of Mental Health, but only the Aug. 30 death happened at the hospital itself. The other six patients whose deaths were investigated all died within the 30-day period after being discharged.

The state mental health department’s data does not distinguish between deaths that occur inside a facility or after discharge, Chinappi said. Last year, the mental health department investigated 44 deaths in Massachusetts and has tracked more than 400 deaths from 2005 through 2014.

The State Department of Mental Health employs 14 investigators.

Pembroke Hospital is the second largest of five in-patient mental health facilities operated by Arbour Health Systems, which also owns a chain of mental health clinics and bills itself as the largest private provider of behavioral health services in the state. Arbour also operates an 18-bed psychiatric unit in Quincy, called The Quincy Center.

Arbour is owned by Universal Health Services, a publicly traded company that operates more than 20,000 mental health beds across the U.S. and posted more than $540 million in earnings last year, according to reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Pembroke Fire Chief Michael Hill would not say whether the patient was dead or alive when emergency responders arrived at Pembroke Hospital.

“I can’t comment on that right now until I speak with DMH,” he said. “I haven’t been contacted yet but I am fully expecting them to call.”

Reach Chris Burrell at cburrell@ledger.com or follow on Twitter @Burrell_Ledger.